Safety razor



w. R. sWANN SAFETY RAZOR Jan. 26, 1943.

Filed Jan. 15, 1942 Nv ENTOR Jam-aa RoBmsoN Swarm Patented Jan. 26, 1943 UNITED SAFETY RAZOR Britain Application January 15, 1942, Serial No. 426,831 In Great Britain July 14, 1941 (Cl. 3iI-74.'1)

4 Claims.

This invention relates to safety razors or safety razor blade holders of the kind in which a thin double-edged blade is flexed to a position of transverse curvature between xed and movable blade exing members of a blade aoco-mmcdating head.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved safety razor holder of the before indicated kind which although it will be of a simple construction so as to be economical to manufacture, will be efficient in use, easy to clean after use, and permit of easy insertion and removal of the blade without the necessity for elaborate positioning means therefor, a special object of the invention being to provide a razor blade holder having xed members forming slots for receiving and exposing the edges of a doubleedged blade and in which slots the blade edges are supported and exposed throughout their entire length, while the convex side of the blade is exposed between said xed slot-forming members.

Referring t the drawing led herewith- Fig. 1 is an elevation of one form of razor made according to this invention, the blade being unflexed.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional part end view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a plan, the blade being omitted.

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation with the blade flexed into the operative position for shaving.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional part end view, and

Fig. 6 is a plan.

2 is the blade receiving and clamping head formed integral with a hollow handle 3. The opposite longitudinal outer edges i of the said head are each formed as a guard to the cutting edges of the blade 5. Spaced above the guard 4 in xed relation thereto and integral therewith, or attached thereto, are separate fixed blade exing members 6 located for contact of the upper face of the blade 5, one each adjacent the cutting edges thereof. A slot or opening 'I is thereby formed between the blade guard 4 and blade flexing member 6 at each side of the head 2 within which the cutting edge of the blade 5 functions.

The blade receiving and clamping head 2 is recessed intermediate of its edges to form a guideway 8 for a movable blade carrying and exing member 9. This movable blade flexing member is provided with a plurality of blade positioning studs I0 on its upper face whereby the blade 5 is disposed between the xed blade flexing members 5 and the movable blade exing member 9.

Projecting from the under face of the movable blade carrying and flexing member s is a stem I2 which extends down the hollow handle 3, the said handle serving as a guide for the stem.

An intermediate length I3 of the stern near its lower end is of reduced diameter and externally screw threaded while the remaining length Iii therefrom to its extremity is of further reduced diameter. Engaging the screw threaded length I3 of the stem I2 is an internally screw threaded hollow spindle I5 which is rotatably held in the handle 3 by a small set screw I5 screwed into the handle and projecting into an annular re cess t7 in the spindle I5.

An integral operating head I3 to the spindle I 5 abuts the extremity of the handle 3 and forms continuity therewith. Rotation of the head I8 effects axial traverse of the stem I2 for raising or lowering the movable blade exing member 9 according to the direction of rotation given to the head. This head I8 is `of increased bore at the orice to form an inner shoulder I9 for the contact of a washer 20 secured to the extremity of the stem I2 by a set screw 2| and thereby serving as a stop for limiting the axial traverse of the stem in raising the movable blade flexing member 9.

. As will be seen, rotation of the spindle head I8 in the vappropriate direction axially traverses the stem I2 to effect rising movement of the movable blade carrying and flexing member 9 and cause the blade 5 to be carried therewith and into contact with the xed blade exing members E whereby the blade is flexed to a posi tion of transverse curvatureto the desired degree and as determined by the extent of rotation of the spindle head I8. Reverse rotation of the head retracts the movable blade carrying and flexing member 9 and withdraws the blade 5 out of contact with the xed blade flexing members 6.

It will be seen that the relation of the fixed blade flexing members 6 to the blade guard 4 remains constant and since the blade, near its cutting edge, ilexes with a lever action against the said iiexing members 6 under the pressure of the movable blade exing member 9, the particular relation of the blade edge to the guard can be readily adjusted or varied to suit the convenience of the user by the desired rotation of the spindle head I8 so as to increase or decrease the pressure upon the blade 5 and consequently the angular location of the blade edges with respect to the guard. This provision for adjustment of the cutting edge also permits the use of blades of different thickness to be used with equal efficiency.

The movable blade ilexing member 9 may be of any suitable shape designed to permit, in conjunction With the ilxed blade flexing members 6, the maximum of freedom for exure of the blade 5.

It is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the particular construction shown, the illustrations depicted in the accompanying drawing being by way of example only. Furthermore, any known or other convenient form of positioning means for the blade found to be suitable and other than that shown, may be employed.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A safety razor blade holder comprising a handle, a blade accommodating head attached to said handle and incorporating a fixed blade guard and associated Vfixed blade flexing member spaced from said guard in fixed relation thereto at each of two opposite sides of said head to provide permanent blade edge receiving and exposing slots between said guard and said member longitudinally of said head, the ilxed blade flexing members being spaced from each other to provide a permanent blade exposing opening in said head, and hand manipulable means including a movable blade flexing member movable away from the blade accommodating head to move a blade and hold it in a fixed position of transverse curvature against the fixed blade flexing members with the convex side of said blade exposed in said opening and with the cutting edges of said blade supported for use in the blade edge receiving and exposing slots throughout the length of said edges.

2. A safety razor blade holder comprising a handle, a blade accommodating head attached to said handle and incorporating a xed blade guard and associated xed blade flexing member spaced from said guard in fixed relation thereto at each of two opposite sides of said head to provide permanent blade edge receiving and exposing slots between said guard and said member longitudinally of said head, the fixed blade r flexing members being spaced from each other to provide a permanent blade exposing opening in said head, a movable blade flexing member slidably operable in a guide in the blade accommodating head and movable away therefrom for llexing a blade and holding it in a fixed position of transverse curvature against the fixed blade ilexing members with the convex side of said blade exposed in said opening and with the cutting edges of said blade supported for use in the blade edge receiving and exposing slots throughout the length of said edges, said movable blade ilexing member having an attached actuating stem extending into the handle, and hand manipulable means rotatably accommodated in said handle for operating said stem.

3. A safety razor blade holder comprising a handle, a blade accommodating head attached to said handle and incorporating a fixed blade guard and associated xed blade flexing member spaced from said guard in fixed relation thereto at each of two opposite sides of said head to provide permanent blade edge receiving and exposing slots between said guard and said member longitudinally of said head, the fixed blade flexing members being spaced from each other to provide a permanent blade exposing opening in said head, a movable blade flexing member slidably operable in a guide in the blade accommodating head and movable away therefrom for flexing a blade and holding it in a fixed position of transverse curvature against the xed blade ilexing members with the convex side of said blade exposed in said opening and with the cutting edges of said blade supported for use in the blade edge receiving and exposing slots throughout the length of said edges, said movable blade flexing member having an attached actuating stem extending into the handle, hand manipulable means rotatably accommodated in said handle for operating said stem and means in said handle for limiting movement of the movable blade flexing member away from the blade accommodating head.

4. A safety razor blade holder comprising a handle, a blade accommodating head attached to said handle and incorporating a llxed blade guard and associated xed blade flexing member spaced from said guard in fixed relation thereto at each of two opposite sides of said head to provide permanent blade edge receiving and exposing slots between said guard and said member longitudinally of said head, the ilxed blade flexing members being spaced from each other to provide a permanent blade exposing opening in said head, a movable blade flexing member slidably operable in a guide in the blade accommodating head and movable away therefrom for moving a blade and holding it in a fixed position of transverse curvature against the xed blade flexing members with the convex side of said blade exposed in said opening and with the cutting edges of said blade supported for use in the blade edge receiving and exposing slots throughout the length of said edges, said movable blade ilexing member having an attached actuating stem extending into the handle, hand manipulable means rotatably accommodated in said handle for operating said stem, means in said handle for limiting movement of the movable blade flexing member away from the blade accommodating head, and means on said movable blade flexing member for correctly positioning a blade thereon in relation to the blade edge receiving and exposing slots.

WALTER ROBINSON SWAN N. 

